INSIDE CONGRESS

Much has been said about the chairmanship of former Sen. Jovito Salonga of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG).  His main achievement as PCGG head was the

recovery of $670 million of the Marcos deposits in Swiss banks. Now that the PCGG is again hogging the news, I’m reminded not only of Salonga but also of its first and only lady chairman, the late Haydee Yorac.

I voted for Haydee Yorac (along with Winnie Monsod, I must add) when she ran as an independent for senator in 1998. I was not close to her. We met only in the course of my work as journalist but I had always admired her even from afar.

If there are two virtues that could best describe Haydee Yorac these are “fearless and incorruptible.”

Yorac exhibited her fearlessness during the martial law years. She was jailed for three months by Marcos but this did not prevent her from speaking her mind on abuses and human rights violations committed by the martial law regime.

Add to her attribute of fearlessness that of incorruptibility, which she showed when she entered government service. She was commissioner of the Commission on Elections, chair of the Presidential Ant-Graft Commission and head of the peace process. During all those years, she was a virtual jewel in government service, leading a high standard of dedication and performance. With her holding sensitive posts in government, she kept the citizenry’s hopes alive that good governance was still possible.

Her fame for incorruptibility led to her appointment as chair of the PCGG. It was during her incumbency that the government’s claim to $683 million ($670 million plus interests) of the Marcos wealth became final and incontestable. She had also wanted to auction off about $10 million worth of Imelda’s jewelry but some bureaucratic hassle prevented it from taking place.

She had had many awards but the highest is undoubtedly the 2004 Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service. The Asian-equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize cited her for restoring faith in public governance. In her acceptance speech, she explained why she had agreed to work with government: “The desire to make government more effective and efficient in its mandate of good governance is of paramount importance. It is the driving force that compels many of us to accept responsibilities in government despite all odds.”

Yorac had soldiered on against all odds. In the end, even a fearless fighter like her had to succumb to a remorseless disease. She died on September 13, 2005 after a lingering bout with cancer.

Had the PCGG continued to be headed by officials like Yorac, it would have met most of the public expectations. We mourned the loss of Haydee Yorac; there’ll be no tears for the abolition of the PCGG.
 
Grace Poe and showbiz people
Election in the Philippines is a contest of popularity rather than of issues. That’s why showbiz personalities generally have a built-in advantage in running for public office. Now, here comes a surprising advice for ambitious showbiz people by a product of the industry, Grace Poe: “Prove you’re worthy of people’s votes.”

Grace Poe is the common candidate for senator of the Liberal Party-led coalition and the United Nationalist Alliance. She’s also known as the daughter of the late Fernando Poe Jr. and former movie queen Susan Roces. Judging from her unsolicited advice to showbiz personalities who are running in the midterm election, I can say that she’s not one who would rely solely on her pedigree or popularity.

Let’s hear it from her: “One must have the right qualifications before joining public service. Election is not about popularity contest or to show who is more popular among Filipinos but a very serious exercise that requires compassion and dedication from candidates.”

Oh well, there are products of showbiz who proved to be deserving of public support. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, a product of Ateneo and the University of the Philippines, is one of the most hard-working senators in the land. Sen. Tito Sotto, a Letran alumnus, is an accomplished
composer, an expert parliamentarian and a workaholic.

Grace Poe, for one, has nothing to be apologetic about in seeking public office for she has more than a showbiz background.  Before deciding to run for senator, Poe served as chairperson of the Movie Television Review and Classification Board and worked in her father’s film outfit FPJ Productions and Film Archives, Inc.

Poe also became a teacher, product liaison officer and product manager in the United States. She finished her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degree at the Boston College in America and completed a two-year course in Development Studies at the University of Philippines in Manila.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.